Losh, Wilson and Bell
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Ironworks, chemical manufacturing |
| Founded | 1809 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England |
| Founder | William Losh, Thomas Wilson, Thomas Bell |
| Defunct | 1931 |
| Fate | Absorbed by Dorman Long |
| Successor | Dorman Long |
| Headquarters | Newcastle-upon-Tyne , England, United Kingdom |
Area served | Northeast England |
Key people | William Losh, Thomas Wilson, Thomas Bell, John Vaughan, Lowthian Bell, Sir Hugh Bell |
| Products | Ironworks products, soda (alkali), steam engines, coal mining equipment |
Losh, Wilson and Bell, which later operated under the names Bells, Goodman, Bells, Lightfoot, and ultimately Bell Brothers, was a leading manufacturing enterprise in Northeast England established in 1809 by the partners William Losh, Thomas Wilson, and Thomas Bell.
Situated in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the company managed both an ironworks and a neighboring alkali facility at Walker. It was a trailblazer in producing soda within England through the application of the Leblanc process. The ironworks was the first to utilize Cleveland Ironstone, foreshadowing the iron production boom on Teesside during the 1850s.
Mining engineer John Vaughan, recognized for discovering Cleveland Ironstone, supervised a rolling mill for this firm prior to founding their competitor, Bolckow Vaughan. Another influential individual was Lowthian Bell, son of Thomas Bell, who rose to prominence as one of England’s foremost ironmasters.
The company operated under the name Bell Brothers until 1931, when it was eventually absorbed by rival firm Dorman Long.
Founders
The enterprise derived its name from its original partners: William Losh, Thomas Wilson, and Thomas Bell.
William Losh (1770–1861) originated from a prosperous coal-mining family in Northeast England. Having received education in Hamburg and trained throughout Europe, he briefly collaborated with rail innovator George Stephenson. His brother, James Losh, also participated in the business during the Napoleonic Wars.
Thomas Wilson (1773–1858), hailing from Low Fell, Gateshead, initially worked in the firm's accounting department before becoming a partner in 1807, prompting the renaming to Losh, Wilson and Bell. In 1810, he married Mrs. Fell of Kirklinton.
Thomas Bell (1784–1845), married to Katherine Lowthian from Newbiggin, Cumberland, descended from a family of blacksmiths.
Origins: from alkali to iron
The roots of the company trace back to 1790 when Archibald Dundonald collaborated with John and William Losh to experiment with manufacturing soda from salt. By approximately 1793, they established a facility at Bells Close near Newcastle. Dundonald dispatched William Losh to Paris to study Nicolas Leblanc's soda production technique. In 1807, the Loshes launched an alkali plant at Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland—the first English site employing the Leblanc process. After Dundonald’s departure from the partnership, operations continued as Walker Alkali Works.
In 1809, Losh, Wilson & Bell inaugurated their initial ironworks adjacent to the alkali works at Walker, focusing on engineering but not manufacturing steam engines. By 1818, George Stephenson’s wooden wagonway was upgraded with cast-iron edge-rails, developed jointly by Stephenson and Losh, Wilson and Bell. Around 1821, Stephenson briefly held a partnership stake in Walker Ironworks.
Wealth
In 1827, a rolling mill capable of producing 100 tons of bar iron weekly was installed at Walker Ironworks; that same year, Losh, Wilson and Bell’s foundry appeared on records as manufacturers of steam engines. The firm adopted the puddling technique in 1833. In 1835, Thomas Wilson discovered ironstone deposits at Grosmont, leading to mining activities with transport facilitated by railway to Whitby. That year also saw nineteen-year-old Lowthian Bell join the company’s Newcastle office before transitioning to Walker ironworks.
A second rail rolling mill was added in 1838 under engineer John Vaughan, who played a significant role in shaping Lowthian Bell’s career as an ironmaster. The same year, The Athenaeum Journal highlighted Losh, Wilson & Bell’s mass production of tin and iron plates for railway wheels. The nearby alkali works contributed notably to soda output along the Tyne.
By 1842, facing pig iron shortages, Bell installed its own blast furnace to smelt mill cinder—a strategic decision facilitating growth. A second furnace followed in 1844 to process Cleveland Ironstone from Grosmont ahead of the Cleveland iron industry expansion led by Vaughan and Marley around 1850. From 1849 onwards, Losh, Wilson and Bell subcontracted construction work for the Newcastle-Gateshead High Level Bridge approaches.
On 25 January 1851, Lowthian Bell departed from his partnership with William Losh and others; at that time the enterprise was described as "Iron Manufacturers, and Ship and Insurance Brokers" under Losh, Wilson and Bell. Bell subsequently pursued a distinguished career spanning chemistry and politics.
On 8 October 1855, a catastrophic boiler explosion at Walker Iron Works resulted in at least seven fatalities among workers aged between 19 and 33 years old and inflicted extensive damage throughout the plant.
By 1857, geologist John Marley noted that Bell Ironworks had expanded from a single blast furnace in 1842–43 to five furnaces by about 1852—processing ironstone sourced from mines near Whitby and northern Cleveland—illustrating its substantial growth within regional iron production.
Bells, Goodman
By 1869, ownership of the Walker Engine Works had transferred to Bells, Goodman & Co. During that year, the company manufactured the tunnelling shield and iron castings used for the Tower subway tunnels. In 1871, it provided pumping and winding engines to Seghill Colliery, and by 1875, it had produced equipment designed to condense smoke and gases for Glasgow's Clyde Lead Works.
Bells, Lightfoot
After Alfred Goodman retired in 1875, Bells, Goodman was rebranded as Bells, Lightfoot & Co. The following year, the firm supplied a 90" Cornish beam engine to Springhead Pumping Station near Anlaby. This engine was distinguished by its box-section wrought iron beam and remained operational until 1952. That same year, Managing Partner Thomas Bell Lightfoot secured a patent for enhancements to metal-shaping machinery. By 1883, Thomas Bell had moved to Bilbao, Spain, which led to the termination of his partnership with Henry Bell and Thomas Bell Jr.
Bell Brothers
By 1873, Bell Brothers controlled nine coal mines across County Durham and Yorkshire, increasing their holdings to fourteen by 1921. Additionally, the company managed the "Clarence Salt Works" starting in 1888. Their office building on Zetland Road in Middlesbrough, constructed between 1881 and 1891 in the Arts and Crafts classical style, was designed by architect Philip Webb. This project was Webb’s only commercial commission and is recognized by English Heritage as Middlesbrough's most architecturally important structure.
In 1903, Lowthian Bell sold a controlling interest in the Bell enterprises to competitor Dorman Long, initiating a difficult merger process. Along with companies such as Consett Iron Company and Bolckow Vaughan, Bell Brothers increased production capacity during World War I but struggled with operational inefficiencies and financial burdens. The combined organization was colloquially referred to as "Dorman versus Bell," reflecting persistent family tensions regarding corporate governance.
By 1923, Bell Brothers produced approximately 600,000 tons of coal annually for coking and industrial applications. Under chairman and managing director Sir Hugh Bell, supported by directors Arthur Dorman and Charles Dorman, Bell Brothers fully integrated into Dorman Long. Sir Arthur Dorman assumed the chairmanship; meanwhile, Hugh Bell and his son Maurice served on the board of directors. Following Arthur Dorman’s death in 1931, Hugh Bell briefly held the chairmanship until his own passing later that year.
Wages and social conditions
John Roby Leifchild’s 1842 report for the Children's Employment Commission outlined wages at Losh, Wilson & Bell: scrap-puddlers earned between 30 and 36 shillings weekly; puddlers received £2 5 shillings; plate mill-furnace workers earned 18 shillings; while enginemen made 25 shillings per week. The family of a boiler engineer spent 18 shillings on food provisions and paid 3 shillings for rent each week, leaving only 4 shillings for other living expenses.
In athletics, Robert Chambers—an iron puddler employed at the Walker works—secured victory in the sculling championship at the Thames Regatta in 1857. The physically demanding nature of puddling contributed to his exceptional strength. Chambers also triumphed in a rematch held on the Tyne in 1859 despite a collision that caused him to fall behind by approximately one hundred yards.
See also
Bibliography
- Marley, J. Cleveland Ironstone: Overview of the Principal or Thick Stratified Bed, Its Discovery, Utilization, and Outcomes Related to the Iron Industry in Northern England Transactions of the North of England Institute of Mining Engineers 5 1856-57, pp. 165-223
External links
- Hidden Teesside: Webb House and Bell Brothers Offices in Middlesbrough
- North Yorkshire County Council Archives: Records of Bell Of Rounton Grange
- The Rountons: Iron Works (Watercolor paintings by John Bell (circa 1814–1886) depicting Port Clarence Ironworks during construction around 1853)
- Ironworks and steelworks in England
- Chemical companies of the United Kingdom
- Manufacturing companies based in Newcastle upon Tyne
- Steam engine manufacturers
- 1809 establishments in England
- Manufacturing companies established in 1809
- 1931 disestablishments in England
- Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1931
- British companies established in 1809
- 1931 mergers and acquisitions
- British companies disestablished in 1931